Hakarat Hatov Modeh Ani

Listen precious friends, this is a classic story and it's good to remember it.

Chassidim, on their way to Rebbe Elimelech of Lizensk, passed by a small village, and next to a broken house they saw a child dancing with all his heart and soul.

He was so thin it was scary, wearing rags...

"Why are you dancing, my sweet child?', they asked 'Gevalt, how hungry I am!'

'So why are you dancing?', the chassidim asked.

And this is what they boy said: 'You should know, I'm only 9 years old. How many sins could I have done in the 9 years of my life? So I mamash was angry at Hakadosh Baruch Hu: why are you letting me go so hungry? I cried from hunger and anger...

But suddenly I realized that I never thanked Hakadosh Baruch Hu for everything I have!

I have a father and mother, I have brothers and sisters. I have a house. It's true that the door and the windows are broken, but nonetheless, it's a house. Suddenly I understood that the only thing I was missing was a piece bread. I'm sure Hashem will send it to me. So I began to dance.'

Afterwards he added with a joking smile: 'And now, Baruch Hashem, I'm a bit less hungry.'

The chassidim were astounded: Gevalt! What a Neshama! A soul that could light up the eyes of Israel...

In the end this boy became one the greatest Tzaddikim: Rav Menachem Mendel MiRimanov.

Vayikrah Rabbah 9:7:

In the future world all sacrifices will be unnecesarry, except for the Korban Todah, which will remain.

Abudraham remarks that the numerical value of the word Modim equals one hundred, alluding to the Talmudic dictum that a person must make 100 blessings every day.. Megaleh Amukos observes that this is why the psalmist places Mizmor Letodah as the 100th psalm.

The Midrash relates that during King David's reign a plague ravaged the country, killing 100 people every day, until David established the practice of reciting 100 blessings daily, In the merit of the mitzvah the plague stopped (Tur O.C. 46).

Grattitude is the measure of our aliveness.

Are we not dead to whatever we take for granted? Surely to be numb is to be dead.

All of Judaism can be summed up as the art of appreciating life.

Stop for a Second and Ask Yourself: How can we actually stay surprised by the plentiful blessings in our life?

Your Ideas here:

R' Alexander Ziskind (author of the Yesod Veshoresh Haavodah) wrote a lengthy work to his children demonstrating how he never forgot any kindness that Hashem bestowed upon him. Every line of the Amidah awakened memories of divine kindnesses.

In his will he reminded his children to thank G-d for even the most mundane things.

"Thank Hashem profusely every time you need the simplest utensil and you find it - a knife - a spoon - a pen. Thank G-d for giving you a table and chair.

Nothing is too insignificant to warrant thanking Him."

Psychologist Robert Emmonds asked participants to write down on a daily basis 5 things for which they were grateful. Participants responses included everything from their parents to the Rolling Stones, from waking up in the morning to the Rolling Stones. Taking a minute each day to express gratitude turns out to have far reaching consequences Compared to the control group, the grateful group enjoyed higher levels of well being and positive emotions. These individuals felt happier, more determined, more energetic and more optimistic. They were also more generous and more likely to support others. Finally those who expressed gratitude also slept better, and experienced fewer symptoms of physical illness.

When you think of all you can be grateful for, you feel better.

When you feel better you become more open to - and are more likely to notice and pursue- positive experiences. You then have more to be grateful for, which in turn improves the quality of your life.

Rav Bentziyon Seneh said, that at one point in his life the doctors were resigned to the fact that he was going to lose his hearing in one ear. Because of the excruciating pain he suffered, they recommended performing an operation which would stop the pain, but which would cause him to be deaf in that ear. He walked through the hospital , observing all the various ailments and diseases from which patients suffered. He said "Ribono Shel Olam, there are so many people that can''t even walk. Thank you so much for giving me legs that walk. Their are so many people who can't even walk. Thank you for giving me legs that walk. Their are so many people who can't use their hands. Thank you for giving me functioning hands. And so he went on and on thanking Hashem for every body part. At the end, he asked Hashem "Hashem please heal my ear and let me hear out of two ears." Several days later, before he had a chance to perform the surgery, a doctor walked in and said "Your G-d loves you. He changed nature. You're going to have 85% hearing in that ear, and you don't need nature.

Living Emunah (3) David Ashear